


Love is a Dangerous Thing

by khudgens91



Series: Winding Roads [10]
Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Kidnapping, Non-Graphic Violence, Past Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Underage Prostitution, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-25
Updated: 2013-08-25
Packaged: 2017-12-24 14:29:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/941080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khudgens91/pseuds/khudgens91
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Madi and Helen's pasts catch up with them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Bingo prompt: Possession/Marking

"Thank you for bringing it to my attention, John," Helen said politely. "You didn't have to come all this way though; you could have just called."

"I wanted to see you, Helen. Is that a crime?"

"Certainly not." 

Contrary to what she said, John's continued obsession with her was tiring. She was reluctant to admit that his return into her life had stirred up some of her old feelings. Despite what he'd done, despite all the years, there was still some small part of her that would always love him. She hated it about herself, but it was a truth she had been forced to acknowledge. Her current relationship with Madi made these feelings even more confusing. She loved Madi, so she couldn't help the slight tinge of guilt she felt when her heart fluttered traitorously every time John was in the room.  

"I trust you've been well?"

"I have. Thank you."

He waited for her to ask after him, but she refused to play along. She wanted to discourage his continued presence in her home. She doubted that John would take well to learning of her relationship with Madi, especially considering the young woman's history. The longer he stayed the greater the likelihood he would run into her young lover.The sooner he left the better. 

John was ambling around her office while they spoke; his fingers trailed across the backs of the furniture, removed books from the shelves to exam, and fiddled with the picture frames adorning her desk. His eyes fell on one in particular, a dark look passing over his features before they were carefully schooled back into an unreadable mask. Helen knew without having to look which picture he had paused upon. It was one of her and Madi. The picture showed Madi's bright smiling face as Helen kissed her cheek lovingly. It was one of Helen's favorites. 

"Anyone I know?" John asked, something dark in his voice.

"No," Helen replied vaguely. "I don't want to keep you, John. Perhaps its time you be on your way"

"What's the hurry, Helen?"

"I simply have things I need to attend to."

"Of course," John said, giving her a smile that she assumed was supposed to be nonthreatening.

They stared at each other for a long moment; John searching for whatever it was she was hiding and Helen refusing to back down. Of course, Madi came waltzing into her office at that precise moment. Something in John's eyes changed and Helen had to fight the urge to pull the girl to her in an overly protective gesture.

"Hey, babe. Are you ready for lunch?" Madi said cheerfully.

Helen cringed inwardly, Madi was not helping to defuse the situation. She watched helplessly as John's face twisted in rage. Madi was apparently just noticing that Helen wasn't alone. Catching sight of her guest, the color drained from Madi's face. Helen knew John could be frightening, but nothing about what he was currently doing should have elicited such an exaggerated response from Madi.  

"Clearly you have things of the utmost importance to get to," John sneered. "I'll leave you to it, Helen. You know where to find me should you need me again."

He gave her a slight bow and then disappeared in a flash of red light. Helen released a breath she hadn't known she was holding. She turned toward Madi, only to find her swaying on her feet like she was about to pass out. Helen rushed to her side, wrapping her arms around her in an attempt to hold Madi up. 

"Are you ok, Darling? What's wrong?" Helen asked, steering them towards the sofa. 

"He...I...we..." Madi sobbed.

"Shh," Helen cooed, stroking Madi's hair. "It's alright. You can tell me." 

"I know him," Madi whispered. "He paid me to...to..."

"To have sex with him," Helen finished.

"Yes," Madi breathed, trying to turn away from Helen and out of her grasp. 

Helen held her tighter, refusing to let Madi pull away. She felt sick with the thought of John using Madi as his whore. She wanted to hurt him for it.  She was sure he hadn't been gentle with her. He had always been an aggressive lover, even in the early days of their relationship before he'd gone mad. She'd seen first hand the things he did to prostitutes, those he considered unclean and below him. 

"I thought he was going to kill me," Madi confessed quietly. "He killed one of the other girls, a few years ago. She was older, kinda like a mother hen to the rest of us."

Helen remembered reading the report on the prostitute that had been killed when John had appeared in old city looking for more of her blood. She said a silent prayer of gratitude, not for the first time, that it hadn't been Madi he'd run into that night. 

"You're safe now. I won't let him hurt you again." 

"Who is he? How do you know him?" Madi finally pulled away from Helen enough to look her in the eye. 

"I've known him for a very long time. Our past is rather complicated." 

"Why was he here?"

"He had intel he thought I'd want to know about."

"I'm sorry I interrupted."

"Nonsense, we were done anyway," Helen tried to reassure her. "How about we head out for some lunch, hm?"

"That sounds good."

Helen followed Madi as she rose from the couch, watching her carefully. Madi attempted to step around Helen, but she caught her in her arms again. 

"You know I love you, right?" Helen asked, looking down into Madi's brown eyes. 

"Yes," Madi breathed.

"Good." 

She gave her a chaste kiss, noting happily that Madi's eyes were lightening to a hazy blue, and then took Madi's hand to lead her out of the office. They were almost to the door when Henry came barreling in, almost running them over. 

"Doc, I'm glad I caught you," he panted. "We have a serious problem." 

"What is it, Henry?" 

"The shipment of abnormals on its way to Egypt was hit by mercenaries. We've lost contact."

"Satellites." Helen asked briskly.

"Jammed," Henry told her glumly, shaking his head. 

"We need to get eyes on that caravan, Henry." 

"Druitt?" 

"He left," Helen replied curtly.

"EM shields are still down, think you could get him back?"

"I'd rather not," Helen told him truthfully, casting a side long glance at Madi.

"I know it's not ideal, Doc, but its the fastest way for us to figure out what's happening out there." 

Helen weighed her options; she needed to get people out in the field to assess the situation and the fastest most efficient way to make that happen was John, but everything in her was screaming to keep him as far away from Madi as possible. She was certain that he had recognized Madi immediately, which put her in danger. Maybe if he teleported in and then teleported them right back out? She could make sure Henry put the shield back up as soon as they were gone so that John couldn't get back in while she was away. Madi would just have to stay inside the field until Helen could get back. 

"Very well," Helen finally conceded. "Give me ten minutes to make the necessary arrangements. But I want you to put the shields back up as soon as we're gone. I don't want him getting back in here while I'm away and can't monitor him, understood?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem."

"Thank you, Henry. I'll meet you in the main lab when we're all ready to go."

Henry gave her a final nod before leaving the two women alone. When Helen turned her attention back to Madi, she was sad to see her eyes had returned to a deep chocolate color. She hated to see Madi so upset.

"I'll be back as soon as possible. You'll be safe as long as you stay within the EM shield."

**********************************************************************************************  
He answered after the first ring, his voice calm and smooth, betraying nothing. Helen didn't like allowing him back in the Sanctuary so soon after what had happened, but her need of his unique skills over rode her uneasy. If he could just get in and out, Henry would have the shields back up the second they were gone. She trusted Henry to take care of things before John could get back in. 

They were all gathered in the main lab, Kate, Will, and herself geared up and ready to go. Nikola was whining about not being allowed to go, but she'd explained to him that she needed him here to make sure nothing happened to Madi. The fact that she was entrusting him with her girlfriend wasn't lost on the vampire. She suspected he whined only for appearances sake. She had said her goodbyes to Madi privately, not wanting her to be around when John arrived. The muddy brown color of her eyes had betrayed Madi's cool demeanor, making Helen's heart ache painfully. She hated that her life, even those parts she couldn't control, put Madi in danger. 

"Johnny!" Nikola drawled when John appeared. "Good to see you again old boy. Shame you get to have all the fun while I'm stuck here defending the castle."

It was Nikola's way of letting John know he was here to make sure Madi stayed safe. Helen smiled to herself,  it seemed that Madi had made a greater impression on Nikola than she had originally suspected. Sure the two of them got along well and Madi enjoyed the times he had joined them in the bedroom, but she hadn't known Nikola truly cared for the girl. He'd deny it, of course, if she asked him, but his poorly disguised warning left no other conclusion. 

"Can't say I'm disappointed you won't be joining us," John replied casually. 

"We're ready to go," Helen announced, walking confidently over to John so that she was within arm's reach for their teleportation. "Henry, Nikola, I trust you to take care of things while I'm away."

Both men nodded their understanding. Before anymore could be said on the matter, she felt the familiar tug and then she was squinting into the bright Egyptian sun. Kate and Will fumbled for their sunglasses, the light a harsh contrast to the lab they'd just been in. Helen turned just in time to catch a glimpse of John's face before he was gone again. The cold hatred in his eyes chilled her to the bone and she hoped she'd made the right decision leaving Madi behind. It was too late to change now, so she tried to push the gnawing fear aside and focus on the task at hand.   

 


	2. Chapter 2

Madi's phone chirped loudly at her, making her jump. She was sitting in Helen's office, reading a book she'd found in the library, trying to distract herself from the unsettling appearance of the bald man from her past. Glancing down at the caller ID, Madi cursed. It was Courtney. She'd promised to meet her at the mall an hour ago. 

"Oh my god, Courtney, I'm so sorry! I know I said we could hang out today, but something came up and I can't," Madi hurried to explain. 

Silence greeted her. Great, Courtney must be mad at her. 

"Please don't be mad, I promise we can hang out this weekend."

Still silence.

"Hello? Courtney? Are you there?"

"I suggest you do exactly as I say," a cold voice whispered over the phone. 

That was definitely not Courtney. This was a man's voice and he didn't sound at all friendly. 

"Who is this? Where's Courtney?" Madi demanded, trying to keep her voice from shaking. 

"I think you know who I am."

Madi's blood ran cold. She did know who he was. She wished she didn't. 

"I have your friend," he said calmly. "She won't be harmed as long as you follow my instructions."

"What do you want?"

"You," he told her simply.

Madi shivered, fear settling over her like a thick blanket. 

"Promise you won't hurt Courtney?"

"You have my word."

"What do you want me to do?"

**********************************************************************************************  
This was a bad idea, a very bad idea. Yet, here she was doing it anyway. Helen had told her to stay home, where the EM shield as well as Henry, Biggie, and Nikola could all protect her. She hadn't for a second thought that Madi would disobey her. And she wouldn't have, except that man had Courtney, her one and only friend. 

It had been easy enough to sneak out through the catacombs, the secret entrance Helen had shown her back when she was helping take down Martelli. Those days felt like another lifetime ago. So much had changed since then, but the bald man seemed to have brought it all back with his sudden appearance. He'd given her an address and she recognized the place as the shabby hotel where she used to bring clients. The irony wasn't lost on her that he'd chosen this place to meet her and she doubted the action was unintentional. 

She knew that if something went wrong Helen could not come to her rescue. She was half way across the world and both Madi and the bald man knew it. There were the boys back at the Sanctuary, but she figured he already knew about her supposed guardians. She'd dug up the old tongue ring they'd used to track her when Martelli had taken her hostage and Madi hoped that would help them find her. That was if they thought to search for the signal to begin with. 

The hotel was the same as it had ever been, run down and dirty. No one with legitimate business ever used it. Madi spotted a few girls roaming about the place, knowing they were waiting on clients. Martelli may be gone, but prostitution still ran rapid in the streets of Old City. 

If Helen hadn't rescued her, Madi would still be out there, maybe even dead by now. Nothing would ever repay the debt she felt she owed Helen Magnus. She knew Helen expected nothing from her in return, saying that just having Madi to wake up to every morning was enough. She was going to be furious at Madi for taking a risk like this. Never mind that Helen put her own life on the line almost on a daily basis; apparently it was different for her. If Madi made it out of this alive, Helen would probably kill her. 

He had text her a room number and she made her way silently to the designated location. Her heart was pounding and her hands were sweating. It was the exact same room she'd been in a few years back, when she'd first met the dangerous stranger. She tried not to remember that night, it still gave her nightmares. Madi had a pretty good idea what she thought he was going to want from her, but she tried to focus on Courtney. She hoped he had been true to his word and that she'd find her friend unharmed. Madi had come from a world of violence and knew that she could handle it, but Courtney came from a life of privilege. She didn't belong in Madi's world, or rather her old world. 

She knocked once on the faded, pealing green door. He didn't make her wait long, the door swinging open to allow her entrance into the dark room. It looked the same as it had back then. The air was stale and the whole room spelt vaguely of mildew, covered up with an over abundance of Febreze. 

"Where's Courtney?" Madi cut straight to the case.

"I'm afraid she isn't here."

"What?" She was confused, where else would she be? Was he keeping her somewhere else? "Where is she?"

"I haven't the slightest clue. If I had to guess, I'd say going on about her life. Probably searching for her stolen cellphone."

"You tricked me!"

"Indeed I did," the man chuckled darkly. 

"Son of a bitch," Madi grumbled, glaring at the hideous carpet. 

He was on her before she knew he'd moved. His arm around her neck, restricting her air flow. Her vision swam with dots as she fought to stay conscious.

"I'm afraid we can't stay here, my dear," the man whispered in her ear just before the blackness swallowed her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Magnus," Helen answered her phone after the fourth consecutive call. 

She hadn't been paying attention to who'd been trying to call her, too busy re-organizing the caravan they'd just recovered from a group of rogue mercenaries. It had been a long afternoon and the sun was starting to get to her. The incessant ringing of her cellphone wasn't helping matters. She paid alot of money to ensure she and her team had a means of communication almost anywhere in the world, but she was starting to question that decision.

"Doc, we have a problem," Henry's voice informed her.

She could hear the panic in his tone and her frustration quickly melted. 

"What is it, Henry?"

"Its Madi, she's gone missing."

Helen's heart stopped and then restarted, beating double time. 

"What do you mean missing?"

"I mean, she isn't in the Sanctuary."

"Have you checked the security cameras?"

"She took the catacombs exit about three hours ago."

"Three hours!" Helen screeched. "Why didn't anyone notice her missing before that?"

"I tracked her phone to a hotel in upper east side, but when Tesla and Biggie got there the room was empty. No sign of a struggle though."

Helen was pacing the sand, grinding her teeth together. She shouldn't have left. She should have stayed behind and let her team handle this one without her. Now, because of her carelessness, she could very well lose Madi for good. Helen tried not to think like that, but she was finding it hard not to. 

"John?" She questioned, her voice tight with worry. 

"Hasn't been heard from since y'all left."

"I'll be on a plane within an hour."

Even if she were to leave this instant it would still be several hours until she got home. Without John to teleport them back, she was helpless. It was a feeling Helen Magnus didn't do well. 

"Keep me updated."

She didn't wait for his reply, just hung up the phone, resisting the urge to fling it out into the desert. It wouldn't do any good. She needed a way for them to reach her if, no when, they found Madi. 

They were at the air field the next time her phone rang. This time she answered it after the first ring. The caller ID read 'unknown', but she had a pretty good idea who it would be. 

"John? What have you done with Madi?" 

"Helen!" Madi's voice sobbed from far away, pain and fear laced into that one single word.

"Helen," a much calmer, deeper voice drawled.

"I'll kill you for this, John. I swear I will."

"You've never managed to in the past, so pardon me if I don't take your threat seriously."

"Help me!" Madi's voice screamed again from the back ground, making her choke back tears.

"I will hunt you down. There won't be a place safe enough where I can't get to you." Helen growled. 

John laughed and she wished she could crawl through the phone and strangle him with her bare hands. 

"Perhaps," he finally conceded, sobering a bit. "But that'll be after I make you listen to your little girlfriend suffer. That's what she is, isn't she, Helen? Your girlfriend?"

"Yes," she ground out.

She was gesturing madly at Will and Kate, trying to convey that they needed to call Henry so that he could track John's location as he talked. They seemed to get the message quickly, scrambling to comply. 

"Tell me, Helen. Do you know what she is?"

She knew what he was getting at, but she refused to fall for the bait. She wouldn't say the words. That wasn't what Madi was to her. 

"She's a whore!" John bellowed, making Helen cringe. "I think I'll put you on speaker phone, so you can listen while I mark her as the trash she is." 

Helen heard the shuffle of him setting the phone down somewhere and then Madi's pleas for him to stop. Bile rose in the back of her throat and she swallowed it back down thickly. She sat on the tar mac, horrified, as she listened to Madi scream in agony. Helen couldn't hold back the tears that spilled down her cheeks. Will and Kate looked at her worriedly, but she waved them away. 

"John, stop!" Helen chocked out when she couldn't take it anymore. "Your quarrel isn't with her, its with me."

"True," John said slowly, stopping whatever it was he was doing to Madi. 

That was good, she needed to keep him distracted so that he wouldn't continue hurting her, give them time to figure out where he was. 

"But its for that very reason that I have her here now," John continued conversationally. "You see, I could hurt you, but we both know that wouldn't do much good. You'd heal eventually, quicker than most due to the source blood, and go about your life the way you always do. But this one, she means something to you. Hurting her does more damage to you than any sort of physical harm."

He was right. Knowing he was hurting Madi, that it was her fault Madi was in this much pain, killed Helen. She'd gladly trade herself if it meant saving Madi. 

"You forget how well I know you, Helen," John commented at her lack of a response. "Every time you see her, each time you make love to this little whore, I want you to be reminded of me. I want you to think about how she got hurt because of you. I'm going to brand her for the trash that she is and you'll remember that every time you touch her."

He was yelling again and Helen felt sick. He wasn't going to kill Madi, what he had in mind was far worse. He stopped talking then, Madi's screams floating through the receiver of her phone. The sound shattering her heart into a thousand pieces. Helen sunk to the ground, her body shaking with silent sobs. She barely registered Will's arms wrapping around her, cradling her as she wept. Or his whispered reassurances that Henry had been able to get a lock on Druitt's location and they were headed there now. It didn't matter. John would get away and she would be left to pick up the pieces after him once again. 

She heard when they found them. Her old friend's roars replacing Madi's high pitched wails. The last thing she heard before the line went dead was Madi's broken voice calling out to Nikola. It should be her, she was supposed to be the one to comfort Madi when she was upset. She was supposed to have protected her from this ever happening in the first place. She'd failed and the weight of it hung over her. Helen hoped Madi would be able to forgive her.


	4. Chapter 4

It was almost twelve hours later when Helen finally walked through the doors of her Sanctuary. Nikola was waiting for her in the entry way, somber look on his face. For the first time in over a century, the man looked like he had aged. 

"How is she?" Helen whispered. 

"Stable." 

She supposed that was a good thing, but she had been hoping for something more along the lines of 'awake and asking for you'. 

"How bad?" 

She dreaded the answer, but still needed to know. Nikola, having known her for so long, produced Madi's charts and offered them to her.

"Perhaps you should sit down?" Nikola said, pulling the charts just out of her reach. 

Helen shook her head, she wanted to be updated on the situation and then she planned to go to the infirmary to be with Madi. There wasn't time to find a place to sit down. He eyed her wearily, but passed over the charts. 

They'd brought in a colleage, Dr. Sails, that Helen used whenever she was out of town or unavailable to perform the surgeries herself. Even if she had been here, she shouldn't have been the one to operate on Madi. Dr. Sails was aware of what happened at the Sanctuary and Helen trusted her completely. 

Part of her wished she'd taken Nikola's advise as she read through the notations. Seeming to have read her thoughts, she felt Nikola's hand at her elbow, helping her stay upright. He could do nothing for the tears clouding her vision though. 

Vaginal tearing consistent with rape. Severe lacerations to her midsection. Bruising on wrists and ankles which indicated she had been restrained. 

Helen read through it all mechanically. The wounds were all easily hidden by clothing, only visible if in a bikini or naked. John had meant for her scars to be for Helen's benefit only, knowing she'd be one of the only people to see Madi in such a state of undress. 

There had been significant blood lose and it had required several hours of sticking. Helen's eyes stopped on the section describing the surgical procedures. Nikola felt her tense, tightening his grip on her arm. 

"Helen, you have to understand," he pleaded. "You weren't here. We had to do something. She had lost too much blood. I made the call. It was that or lose her."

Helen yanked out of his hold, not wanting him to touch her any longer. Did he understand what he had done? He had no right to make that call. 

"You gave her your blood," Helen hissed, venom in her voice. 

"It was the only way."

"No!" She shook her head violently, refusing to believe him. "There had to be something else you could have done. Anything but that."

"Helen," Nikola begged, taking a step closer to her. "You read the file. You weren't here. It was bad."

"Do you know what you've done?" She screamed at him, stepping away from him as he tried to move closer. "We have no way of knowing what kind of effects that will have on her!"

"Would you rather have come home to a corpse?" Nikola yelled at her.

Helen froze, face going absolutely blank as she stared at him. 

"Helen," he said, softer this time, a look of grief on his face.

She stepped towards him then and a brief glint of relief flashed through his eyes. When she slapped him it echoed off the high ceilings of the entrance hall. 

"You had no right," she whispered. 

She knew he was right, it had probably been the only way to save Madi. But that didn't make her any less mad. Nikola's source blood altered DNA could have any number of effects on Madi. They had no way of knowing what the side effects would be. 

"She asked to be left alone," Nikola told her, when she turned to leave. 

Helen's heart sank. Madi didn't want to see her. She couldn't blame the girl, but it still hurt. 

"You can't blame yourself, Helen," Nikola said, once again seeming to know where her mind was going.

"Can't I?" She snapped at him. 

"This isn't on you, Helen. This is on John."

"But he would have left her alone if she hadn't been with me."

"Maybe. But that still doesn't make you responsible. That girl chose to be here and when she wakes up she'll be faced with that same choice. I can't guarantee she'll stay this time, but that has to be her decision."

Helen felt herself crumbling, the anger slowing fading away to make room for the fear. She had always told Madi that she wouldn't stand in her way if she wanted to leave the Sanctuary. She wanted the best for Madi, whatever made her happy, but Helen had secretly hoped that she'd somehow be involved in Madi's life no matter where she was. There was a strong possibility that Madi would no longer want to be with her. Helen didn't know if she could handle that. She'd given her heart to John Druitt long ago and sworn she would never let herself be that vulnerable with another person again. But without her permission, her heart had gone and betrayed her. 

"God help me, Nikola, but I love her. I can't lose her," Helen sobbed, crumpling in on herself. 

Nikola's arms were around her in an instant, preventing her from tumbling to the ground. She let him hold her, crying softly against his shoulder. 

"Come on, let's go get you cleaned up," Nikola said softly, ushering her towards the elevator. 

"I want to go see Madi," Helen tried to protest, despite his earlier comment that she didn't want any visitors. 

She needed to see with her own eyes that Madi was really ok. Or at least on the path to being ok. But Nikola's arms were tight around her and he wouldn't let her past his embrace. 

"Shower first and then I'll take you to see her," he instructed. "Trust me. You'll better after you've washed the sand out of your hair."

Helen conceded to his point. It would do her good to get herself cleaned up before she went down to see Madi. She wanted to be strong for her and her current state screamed anything but strong. 

"Fine," she grumbled. "But go sit with her for me, I don't want her to be alone. Please?"

"Of course," he assured her, brushing a kiss to the top of her head. 

She didn't rush while she got herself put together, arriving in the infirmary only after about half an hour. She wore her white lab coat over her usual crisp business attire, hiding behind the comfortable facade of Dr. Magnus. It was silly, and she knew it, but it helped her keep her grasp on reality. She was terrified of how Madi would react to her, how she would treat her after this. It was incredibly selfish, but Helen didn't think she could lose Madi on top of everything that had already happened. 

Thankfully she was asleep when Helen entered the infirmary. Nikola sat dutifully by her side, just as she'd asked him to. He was holding her hand and the simple gesture caused a flare of jealousy in her. It was similar to how she had felt when she'd overheard his rescue of her lover. She was supposed to be the one comforting Madi. But instead she was the one doing the harm. It didn't matter what Nikola said about it being John's doing and not her own, Helen still felt responsible for what had happened. 

"How is she?" Helen whispered, smoothing imaginary wrinkles out of the blankets over Madi's legs. 

"Coming in and out of consciousness," Nikola told her. "She asked about you the last time she was awake."

"Really?" 

A smidgen of hope ignited in her. Maybe Madi didn't hate her after all. 

"I should exam her," Helen said awkwardly, needing something to do. 

"I don't know if that's a good idea right now, Helen," Nikola tried, but she shot him a glare and he fell silent. 

The bandages were thick and some already needed changing. Her doctor's instinct kicked in automatically as she reached for fresh gauze to dress them with. But as she removed the soiled bandages, her lip began to tremble at the sight underneath. Angry red lacerations covered Madi's stomach, breasts, and thighs. Swollen skin puffing up around the carefully lain stitches Dr. Sails had administered. Even with Nikola's source blood enhanced blood now coursing through Madi's veins, it would be a miracle if she didn't scar. But John had wanted scars, that had been his intent all along.

Helen's hands shook as she re-did Madi's bandages, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. Nikola watched her carefully through the whole thing, blessedly silent for once. She was just throwing away the old bandages and her gloves when Madi began to stir. Her first instinct was to rush to her side, but Helen hung back for a moment, unsure. 

"Nikola?" Madi's hoarse voice croaked. 

"Shhh," Nikola soothed, already reaching for the cup of ice chips Helen had provided. 

"Helen?" Madi asked quietly. 

Nikola glanced over at her expectantly. Clearing her throat and wiping away the last of the tears, Helen moved to the unoccupied side of Madi's bed. 

"Madilynn?" Helen whispered. "Darling, I'm here."

Madi stared up at her wide eyed for a few seconds and Helen felt the uncertainty well up inside her again. Reaching out, she tucked a strand of hair behind Madi's ear, a gesture she did often. Madi had once confessed that she loved it when Helen did that. She'd meant it to soothe her, a simple gesture of the overwhelming love she had for her. But Madi turned her face away from Helen's gentle fingers. 

Helen felt her heart break for the second time in one day. That small reaction spoke more than a thousand words. Nikola looked up at her with genuine regret in his eyes, reaching a hand out to her. She shrugged him off, not wanting his sympathy or his pity. 

"Can I get you anything, Madilynn?" Back to Dr. Magnus.

"It-It hurts," Madi confessed, not meeting Helen's eye. 

"I'll get you something to dull the pain," Helen mumbled, turning away. 

The morphine she injected into Madi's IV would help her sleep, take away whatever pain she was feeling. But Helen wasn't so lucky. There were no drugs to ease the pain she felt. 

"Helen," Nikola said, following her out of the infirmary once Madi had drifted back asleep. "She just needs time."

Helen nodded mutely. She didn't push him away when he pulled her into his embrace. He stroked her hair and whispered reassurances to her, but she felt completely hollow inside, his words nothing more than empty promises that she didn't think would come true.


End file.
